The Original Silk Road in China linked the country with many countries extending all the way to the Mediterranean reaching Rome and beyond in Europe. The road network enabled vibrant trade of goods such as silk, spices, wood, paper and other products between many countries enabling China to be a major power thousands of years ago.

The Original Silk Road is shown in the map below:

Click to enlarge

Modern day China has embarked on re-creating a similar of silk road called as the The New Silk Road or the One Belt One Road initiative (BRI). This network includes land, sea, rail and pipeline networks connecting China to many of the major markets of the world.

The New Silk Road is shown in the map below:

Source: CPD: All aboard the new Silk Road, Adviser Voice

In order to make this new network a reality China is investing heavily in many countries developing the infrastructure by providing financing or building the infrastructure. For example, China is helping build and expand port facilities and developed a city in Colombo, Sri Lanka as part of the New Silk Road initiative.